Ortona

Ortona (ōrtôˈnä) [key], town (1991 pop. 22,601), Abruzzi, central Italy, on the Adriatic Sea. Now a small fishing port and a seaside resort, it was a major port from the 11th cent. to 1447, when its fleet and arsenal were destroyed by the Venetians. The 12th-century cathedral (now restored) and the Aragonese castle (15th cent.) were heavily damaged in World War II.